Vinyl cutters
Quick start guide
Cricut Maker
Create a new project in Cricut Design Space, and select the correct Cricut Maker under explore.
Upload your motif, or use the program to create your own. Accepted format: .svg, .png, .gif, .jpg, .dfx, .gif, and .bmp.
Select attach if the motif consists of several elements
When you are satisfied, select make it and then select on mat.
If you are transferring to a textile, mirror your motif.
Select continue and chose vinyl as material
Place the vinyl on the mat with the glossy side down and press the load button on the maker.
When your material has been loaded and approved, you can press the start button.
Manually remove all negative areas from the vinyl.
Use heat press for textile or transfer film for hard surfaces.
Pay by Vipps or in the information desk on the first floor. See our price list for more information.
A more thorough review of the process follows, and you will also find a collection of the resources in the bottom of the site.
Step 1: Get started
We recommend that you review the Good to Know section at the bottom before you get started. Here you learn how to choose a suitable motif, which file formats you can use and other useful information. If you are already familiar with this, it is of course just a matter of getting started.
Log the machine into Folkeverkstedet's user, if it is not already logged in. You will receive a password from the staff. Once you're logged in, open the Cricut Design Space program from the desktop.
Select the sign in option.
Create your own Cricut ID and log in.
Choose the right machine. We have a Cricut Maker and a Cricut Maker 3. Information about this can be found on the machine itself.
If you have an existing project, you will find this under My Projects. However, if it is yours first, select New Project.
Step 2: Prepare your motif
If you have already prepared your motif yourself, and this is also in the correct format and ready for cutting, you can skip this step and go straight to Step 3: Preparation.
When you are inside the program and have created a new project, you are ready to set up or load your motif.
Insert images, text or symbols from the content menu.
If you want to upload the motif yourself, you can do so with upload.
If your motif is not prepared for cutting, this must be done manually. Choose the option that best describes your photo. If your motif has already been prepared, it can be loaded directly without processing.
All background must be de-selected, and done with select. For our example, this applies to all yellow fields. We would like to point out here that intricate motifs such as ours also require a lot of preparation of pre-cut vinyl.
If the motif contains unwanted image elements, you can use the eraser to remove these.
It is recommended to enlarge and check the preview of the cut image before proceeding.
When you have removed everything that needs to be removed, and are otherwise satisfied, select apply and continue.
The next step is to upload your cut image with the options cut image and then upload.
You now see your finished image, and this can be added to your workspace with add to canvas.
The image will be placed so that you see the size ratios. Remember to save, both now and during the process.
You can of course also upload several images, and combine these into your final motif.
There are also a number of free images in Cricut, but be sure to tick free if you don't want to spend money.
From here, it's just a matter of playing with placement, angles, symbols and text. Again, make sure that what is free and not among Cricut's own selections. Many of their own fonts are not priced, so to be safe only use the free fonts.
Step 3: Preparation
Once you've completed your motif, it's time to prepare it and send it to the Cricut Maker.
If your motif consists of several elements, these must be attached together. This is done by marking all elements and selecting attach.
If you are now satisfied with everything that has been set up, you are ready to select make it to carry out the final steps before cutting.
In the dialog box that appears, select on mat. So that you can see how the motif is placed on the cutting mat. The mat is your control target in the process, and reproduces the work area from the screen.
If the motif is to be transferred to textile, you must mirror it before selecting continue. Mirroring is not necessary for hard surfaces. Remember to choose the correct size of the mat.
Select vinyl as the material, this can be searched for if it is not already preselected. If you star it, Cricut Design Space will make it available the next time.
When the program asks to load material, you are ready to proceed to the cutter itself. If you are cutting thick vinyl, choose more from the preassure dropdown.
Step 4: Vinyl cutting
You are now ready to cut. Place your vinyl on the cutting mat with the glossy side down so that it covers the size of the area you will be cutting. The mat has measurements, so you can easily check that the size is correct. For stickers, place the vinyl with the paper side down.
When the machine has finished cutting, all negative spaces must be removed (the areas you not want to be transferred). We have a range of equipment that makes it easier for you to loosen the unwanted vinyl. This can still be a time-consuming job, especially if you have a complex motif with a lot that needs to be removed.
Use the mat to check both that you have enough vinyl and that you are satisfied with the size against what you want to transfer to.
The vinyl is placed on the mat with the glossy side down, when the program shows load material. Press the load button.
You must now remove all the areas you do not want to transfer. For our subject, this is a demanding job.
Gradually, you will be left with a plastic sheet, which only contains your motif. And you are now ready for transfer.
Step 5: Transfer
For textiles, these are placed on the heat press before you place your motif where you want it. Then just use the press to make the vinyl melt into your garment/bag/etc. The heat press is equipped with a timer, so that it tells you when it is finished. Then allow the product to cool down before removing the protective plastic from your motif.
If the motif is to be transferred to a hard surface, we have transfer paper. This works in the same way as contact paper, and allows you to transfer the entire motif as one part.
Textile and motif are placed on the heat press.
Allow everything to cool before removing the protective plastic.
Step 6: Payment
The last step is to pay for the material you have used, and possibly for the textile. This is done via Vipps, and a QR code can be found at the station. See our price list to know how much you should pay
Now all that's left is to enjoy what you've made, whether it's for yourself or a gift for someone you love :)
Good to know
If you want to work from home, you can download Cricut Design Space. The software is free, and you get access to your own profile where you can save your designs. What you want to cut with us can then be retrieved from your profile on our machines, so that you can carry out the final steps and transfer to textile or hard surfaces.
We sell some t-shirts and tote bags, but you can also bring your own.
File formats
Preferably use files in SVG format (Scalable Vector Graphic), as these require little or no processing. If you are unfamiliar with vector graphics, we recommend this guide from Adobe to familiarize you.
Cricut Design Space allows the following formats: .svg, .png, .gif, .jpg, .dfx, .gif, and .bmp.
Choice of motif
We recommend text and motifs that have few and clean areas of colour, while motifs such as photos and illustrations with gradients are not suitable. Cricut Design Space gives you access to both symbols, graphics and text. If you want to create your own motif from scratch, we also have graphic stations with drawing boards and access to Adobe software. These must then be booked separately.
Suitable motifs
Unsuitable motifs
It's worth noting that the more negative surfaces the subject contains, the more difficult the job becomes when removing all the vinyl you don't want to transfer. Our example in the tutorial is both difficult and time-consuming, because there are many small areas of vinyl that need to be removed. Below you will see some examples in varying degrees of difficulty, so that you will have a better basis for making a good choice of motif.
Simple motifs
Both simple and fast.
Somewhat time-consuming.
Difficult motifs
Difficult and time-consuming.
Not recommended.
Motifs with several color surfaces must be transferred in several passes, as the vinyl cutter only processes one sheet of vinyl at a time. If it is the first time you are using the station, we recommend choosing a simple, plain motif.
Collected resources
Cricut Design Space
Free vector images
Vector preparations
ATTENTION! Several of the images from the free sites cannot be downloaded in .svg format, but as .eps and .ai. These files can be easily converted online or using Inkscape or Adobe Illustrator. We also remind you that you must check the rights to what you download, and choose free and not premium.